Sun 6/29: Jinxworld's The Wizard World Chicago Photo Thread has a Granny photo and discussion, starting with "There are some things that should never be seen and one of those is a guy in a Granny Goodness costume."

Sun 6/29: Another photo, another comment at Big Time Attic: "Oh, and I LOVED that Granny Goodness costume. The guy who was in the suit said that the one thing he wished was that his mouth was 30% wider."

Wed 7/2: Speaking of, at the Who Wants to Be a Superhero forum on SciFi.com they've got some pix of Granny and The Defuser. They say, "So that's Granny Goodness! Yeah, be careful around her, TD... She's one of Darkseid's bunch!" But they needn't worry. The Defuser knew exactly who Granny was. ("Where's Mr. Miracle? Where's Barda?" he asked me. The man knows his comics.)

Take Pictures: I took like 5 pictures, and they don't quite convey the fun we had. I did get a sweet picture with a guy who was a little too into his Granny Goodness identity. He made for one ugly woman.

The 7/8: Peng calls me the "most courageous man i've ever met," which is very nice. One of his readers points out a design flaw in the costume, which is embarassing.

Fri 7/11: HollywoodChicago talks about Granny around 13 minutes into Episode Three of their podcast.

I don't know what would have made him think, 'I'm going to dress like a supervillian of the opposite sex from thirty-five years ago.'

There's more to come as I find time to blog under the Granny Goodness label. And I'm sure there will be other people blogging and posting about the costume. It was a real hit and lots of people wanted to have their picture taken with Granny. Like this little child from, oh what was that planet's name? Oh, yes. From Krypton.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

It's J.R.'s one year banjoversary and he's writing a series of posts on where he's been and where he's going, banjo-wise.

Yes, after those first six months I just wasn't making the progress that I wanted to. I'd performed on stage and had a good time doing so, but I wasn't satisfied with my musical performance. I'd spent half a year on my banjo and had gone to lessons every week (mostly), but I could just barely manage a Seeger-style sing-along. (And I'd have needed the printed music and a lot of practice before I could play the song.)

Coincidentally – or perhaps because the universe just wanted me to learn to play the banjo better – this period of realization came upon me at the end of the year, just in time for a new year's resolution:

My new year's resolution for 2008 is to spend at least as much time playing my banjo as I spend watching TV.

A big break-through occurs and my practice starts to pay off when my basal ganglia (some call it "muscle memory") learns the forward roll. Mike says I sound good! We play a couple of songs together and he says, "I actually had fun playing with you." Woo-hoo!!

Aaaand that's kind of it for the whole month. I don't practice nearly enough.

Month 5: Thinks perk up 'cause I have a goal

Flatts & Sharpe announces that it will be hosting a recital for its students, so the month is pretty much dominated by my preparation for that event. I decide to do "The Preamble" from School House Rock.

Mike helps me figure out the chords.

I try to learn a few new tricks for the piece (like Scruggs-style forward rolls), but I wind up abandoning them because I can't learn them well enough in time.

Month 6: Shoving myself onstage

I perform at the recital and I'm a hit. But, being honest with myself, I realize that I got through it on enthusiasm and a really good slide show.

Think I'm being too hard on myself? Check out the terrible hand positions from these photos of the recital:See? I'm having fun, but my right hand is doing everything from the wrist (like Mike had warned me against in month 2) and I'm holding my left hand like a claw (ditto).

I get involved in the holidays and don't do much with the banjo for the rest of the month.

Sorry to end the post on such a downer, but that's really where I was after six months. Things will pick up in the next post, though, because I've created a trick that helped me stick with my practicing.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

I'm going to start a new personal tradition this year by burning a tattered flag. Like the U.S. Flag Code says:

The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning. (4 U.S.C. Chapter 1 [The Flag] § 8 [Respect for flag])

If any of you have flags that are tattered or torn, maybe you could join me in burning that flag on Flag Day. I've got one that's too frayed to repair, so its time has come.